Equipment for the manufacture of polyethylene terephtalate containers

ABSTRACT

Equipment for manufacturing a polyethylene terephthalate container which is capable of withstanding, without appreciable deformation, relatively severe thermal conditions encountered during processing by filling with a hot liquid or pasteurization of the contents of the container. The equipment includes a first mold which is designed to shape the body of an intermediate container from the body of an amorphous polyethylene terephthalate preform to a size larger than the dimensions of the final container to be obtained. Second, the equipment includes a treatment station which itself includes a first heating device which simultaneously heats the body and neck section of the intermediate container to a temperature of about 160° to about 240° C. to rapidly shrink the body of the intermediate container and to effect crystallization of the neck section and increase the crystallinity of the contracted intermediate container body. The treatment station then slowly cools the contracted intermediate container body and the neck section, whereafter a second heating device heats the contracted intermediate container prior to placing it in a second mold. The second mold has dimensions corresponding to the final size of the container to be obtained.

This is a divisional of application Ser. No. 07/654,701 filed Feb. 13,1991, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,229,042.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a process and related equipment for themanufacture of containers made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET),which can withstand without undue deformation relatively severe thermalconditions encountered during processes such as filling with a hotliquid and pasteurization of the contents of the container.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

French Patent No. 2 595 294 discloses a process and an equipmentinstallation allowing manufacture of containers, and especially bottles,which thoroughly comply with the imposed requirements and which canwithstand, without marked deformations, filling with a hot liquid(temperatures above 80° C.), for example, or a pasteurization operation.

However, experience has shown that it is desirable to reduce to aminimum the number of container-treatment stations during manufactureand/or to simplify the structure of the container, thereby favorablyaffecting not only the overall cost of the equipment, for example,reduction in purchase price, transport costs, maintenance costs, andrisks of breakdown, but also the manufacturing time for each container.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is, therefore, directed to a new process andequipment installation allowing these requirements to be met, while atthe same time conserving the two consecutive stretching-molding stepsimplemented in accordance with French Patent 2 595 294, which impart tothe containers the desired capacity to withstand relatively severethermal conditions.

More specifically, this invention relates to a process and equipmentinstallation for the manufacture of PET containers, such as bottles,which are resistant to relatively severe thermal conditions during use,such as filling with a hot liquid or pasteurization of the contents.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention areaccomplished by a process for the manufacture of a polyethyleneterephthalate (PET) container capable of withstanding, withoutappreciable deformation, relatively severe thermal conditionsencountered during processing by filling with a hot liquid orpasteurization of the contents of the container, comprising insuccession:

a) heating only the body, exclusive of the neck section, of an amorphousPET preform to a temperature at least equal to the PET-softeningtemperature, wherein the neck section of the preform already possessesthe final shape and dimensions of the PET container to be formed;

b) blow molding the heated preform body to form an intermediatecontainer whose body has dimensions greater, by about 20% with respectto height and by 0 to about 30% transversely, than the dimensions of thefinal container to be formed, while cooling the mold walls holding theintermediate container to a temperature of about 5° to about 40° C.;

c) heating the body of the intermediate container to a temperature ofabout 160° to about 240° C. for a period of about 1 to about 5 minutes,while heating the neck section during part of or the entire body heatingtime under temperature and time conditions sufficient to allowcrystallization of the PET neck section alone;

d) slowly cooling the neck section; and

e) blow molding the heated contracted body of the intermediate containerobtained at the end of step d) to its final shape and dimensions for aperiod of about 2 to about 6 seconds.

In addition, the present invention also relates to equipment formanufacturing a PET container capable of withstanding, withoutappreciable deformation, relatively severe thermal conditionsencountered during processing by filling with a hot liquid orpasteurization of the contents of the container, comprising:

a) a first heating device for heating, to a temperature at least equalto the PET-softening temperature, only the body, exclusive of the necksection, of an amorphous PET preform wherein the neck section of thepreform already possesses the final shape and dimensions of the PETcontainer to be formed, and wherein the device is adapted so as toprovide thermal protection for the neck section, in order to prevent itfrom being heated:

b) a first mold designed to shape the body of an intermediate containerfrom the body of the preform, wherein the first mold has a moldingcavity whose dimensions are larger than the dimensions of the finalcontainer to be obtained by about 20% with respect to height and from 0to about 30% transversely, and is equipped with means for cooling thewalls of the cavity to a temperature of about 5° to about 40° C.;

c) a treatment station comprising a second heating device designed toheat the body of the intermediate container to about 160° to about 240°C. and to heat the neck, during part of or the entire body heating time,under temperature and time conditions to ensure crystallization of thePET neck section only, and means for slowly cooling the neck section;and

d) a second mold designed to shape the body of the final container fromthe heated body of the intermediate container, wherein the second moldhas a molding cavity with dimensions that match the body of the finalcontainer and is fitted with means enabling the walls of the cavity tobe kept at a selected temperature.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A and 1B are schematic illustrations successively representingthe different stations of an equipment installation according to theinvention.

FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 are schematic illustrations of three possibleembodiments, respectively, of one of the stations 14 of the installationshown in FIG. 1B.

FIG. 5 represents one bottle produced in accordance with the inventionin different stages of manufacture where these stages correspond to theequipment stations shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In one aspect, the present invention, with reference to one particularembodiment thereof depicted by the drawing numerals, relates to aprocess for the manufacture of a polyethylene terephthalate (PET)container capable of withstanding, without appreciable deformation,relatively severe thermal conditions encountered during processing byfilling with a hot liquid or pasteurization comprising in succession:

a) heating (at 4) only the body (3), exclusive of the neck section (2),of an amorphous PET preform (1) to a temperature at least equal to thePET-softening temperature, wherein the neck section (2) of the preformalready possesses the final shape and dimensions of the PET container tobe formed;

b) blow molding (at 7) the heated preform body (3) to form anintermediate container (11) whose body (12) has dimensions greater, byabout 20% with respect to height and by 0 to about 30% transversely,than the dimensions of the final container to be formed, while coolingthe mold walls holding the intermediate container to a temperature ofabout 5° to about 40° C.;

c) heating (at 14) the body (12) of the intermediate container (11) to atemperature of about 160° to about 240° C. for a period of about 1 toabout 5 minutes, while heating the neck section (2) during part of orthe entire body (12) heating time under temperature and time conditionssufficient to allow crystallization of the PET neck section alone;

d) slowly cooling the neck section (2a); and

e) blow molding the heated contracted body (16) of the intermediatecontainer (15) obtained at the end of step d) (at 18) to its final shapeand dimensions for a period of about 2 to about 6 seconds.

Thus, according to the process of the present invention, a preliminaryseparate step involving shaping of the crystallized neck, which wasrequired in the procedure according to French Patent No. 2 595 294, iseliminated. In the present invention, this step is incorporated intostep (c) involving heating of the intermediate container, which iscarried out between the two consecutive stretching-blow molding stepsperformed on the container body. This integration of the two steps,which both involve heating, produces economically advantageousconsequences for the structure of the equipment installation, which willbe explained more fully below.

In addition, the integration of these two heating steps also results ina proportionate reduction (approximately 30 to 60 seconds) of themanufacturing time for each container.

In a first embodiment of steps c) and d) of the above-described process,only the body of the intermediate container is heated, while the neck isnot heated. Next, the neck is heated at the same time the body isheated. Finally, the neck alone is slowly cooled while the heating ofthe body alone continues until completion. The preliminary heating ofthe body alone of the intermediate container is advantageously performedfor about 3 to about 30 seconds, and preferably about 5 seconds.

In a second embodiment of steps c) and d) of this process, the entireintermediate container, both body and neck, is heated simultaneously,then the neck only is slowly cooled while the heating of the body aloneis continued and completed.

In both of these embodiments, cooling of the neck alone advantageouslycomprises a stabilization step at an ambient (heating device or oven)temperature of about 50° to about 100° C. for about 5 to about 30seconds, preferably about 20 seconds. Next, actual cooling using lowertemperatures is conducted for about 20 to about 40 seconds, preferably25 seconds.

In a third embodiment of steps c) and d) of this process, the entireintermediate container, both body and neck, is heated. Next, the entirecontainer thus obtained, both body and neck, is cooled simultaneously.Finally, the body is reheated prior to step e). The heating can becarried out by heating the body alone, while protecting the neck asrequired, or by heating the entire container, both body and neck, usinginfrared radiation for a short period. In this situation, the heatingtime is not long enough to allow pronounced heating of the thick wall ofthe neck, and therefore only the thin wall of the body is substantiallyheated. To achieve this, final heating of the body prior toimplementation of step e) is performed for a period of about 3 to about20 seconds, preferably about 5 seconds. Advantages are also gained whenthe simultaneous cooling of the entire container, both body and neck, isfor a period of about 10 to about 60 seconds, preferably about 40seconds.

In all of the above cases, the simultaneous heating of the entirecontainer, body and neck, during step c) is preferably carried out for aperiod of about 30 to about 90 seconds, most preferably about 45seconds.

According to another aspect of the invention, the equipment installationfor manufacturing a PET container comprises, with reference to thedrawing numerals:

a) a first heating device (4) used to heat, to a temperature at leastequal to the PET-softening temperature, only the body (3) exclusive ofthe neck section (2) of an amorphous PET preform (1) wherein the necksection of the preform already possesses the final shape and dimensionsof the PET container to be formed and wherein the device is adapted soas to provide thermal protection for the neck section (2), in order toprevent it from being heated;

b) a first mold (8) designed to shape the body of an intermediatecontainer (11) from the body (3) of the preform (1), wherein the firstmold has a molding cavity (9) whose dimensions are larger than thedimensions of the final container to be obtained by about 20% withrespect to height and by 0 to about 30% transversely and being equippedwith means for cooling the walls of the cavity to a temperature of about5° to about 40° C.;

c) a treatment station (14) comprising a second heating device (27)designed to heat the body (12) of the intermediate container (11) toabout 160° to about 240° C. and to heat the neck, during part of or theentire body heating time, under temperature and time conditions toensure crystallization of the PET neck section only, and, means forslowly cooling the neck section (2a); and

d) a second mold (19) designed to shape the body of the final containerfrom the heated body (16) of the intermediate container (15), whereinthe second mold has a molding cavity (20) with dimensions that match thebody of the final container and being fitted with means enabling thewalls of the cavity to be kept at a selected temperature.

Because of the structure of this equipment, an initial heating devicedesigned for the crystallization of the neck alone, which was called forin the installation in French Patent 2 595 294, can be eliminated. Theelimination of this heating device, of the associated conveyors, and ofall the corresponding attached equipment makes the installation lesscostly when purchased, more compact, less subject to operationalbreakdowns, less costly to maintain, and easier and less expensive totransport.

Furthermore, the concomitant reduction of the time required formanufacture of each container allows accelerated fabrication on anindustrial scale.

In a first embodiment of the equipment installation, the second heatingdevice is structured so as to first heat only the body of theintermediate container, while the neck is not heated, then to heat theentire container, both body and neck, and, finally, to continue andcomplete heating of the body alone while the neck is cooled.

In a second embodiment, the second heating device is structured in orderto heat the entire intermediate container, both body and neck, and thento continue and complete heating of the body only, while the neck iscooled.

In a third embodiment, the second heating device is structured to allowheating of the entire intermediate container, both body and neck; thecooling means are structured to allow cooling of the entire container,both body and neck. A third heating device is designed to heat the bodyof the intermediate container before this body is placed into the secondmold.

In the third embodiment, the third heating device may be designed sothat only the body of the container is heated, or as an additionalembodiment, the third heating device may be designed so as to heat theentire container, both body and neck, and to equip it with heatingelements which emit infrared radiation, whereby only the body issubstantially heated because of the arrangement.

With reference to the drawings, preferred embodiments of the presentinvention are described below. The invention may be implemented bybeginning with a bottle preform (1) produced, in a conventional manner,by a molding operation involving the injection of polyethyleneterephthalate (PET). In this initial stage, the PET is amorphous and theentire preform (neck (2) and body (3)) is transparent (see FIG. 5). Thepreform is molded with a neck (2) having the exact shape and dimensionsof the final PET container to be formed but whose mechanical propertiesare not definitively established because of the amorphous nature of thePET.

With reference, first, to FIGS. 1A and 5, the preforms (1) taken fromstock (not shown) are positioned and transported by means of a conveyordevice (not shown) to a first heating station (4) comprising asuccession of infrared ovens (5) arranged as a corridor or tunnel,within which the preforms are transported, while the necks (2), made ofamorphous PET, of the preforms are thermally protected during thisoperation. The heating temperature is at least 70°-72° C. (PET vitreoustransition temperature, referred to herein as the "PET-softening"temperature), preferably about 100° to about 120° C., for about 25seconds.

The preforms whose bodies are heated are then transported by a conveyor(6) to a first blow molding station (7). Individual molds areadvantageously arranged in the shape of a carrousel The heated body (3)of the preform is placed in a mold (8) whose cavity (9) has dimensionslarger than those of the final container to be produced by about 20%with respect to height and by 0 to about 30% transversely.

Molding takes place by inserting a movable mandrel (10) inside thepreform (1) so as to axially elongate the body (3) of the preform untilit reaches the bottom of the mold (9). A pressurized fluid, for example,compressed air, is injected into the elongated body, which step may bepreceded by an optional preliminary blowing operation under about 10bars so as to place the film of material under tension. Then, blowmolding is performed under about 15 to about 40 bars pressure in orderto expand the body and to press it against the walls of the cavity (9).The entire cycle lasts about 2 to about 10 seconds. During this blowmolding operation, the walls of the mold are cooled using air or water,so that the temperature remains between about 5° and about 40° C.,preferably between about 10° and about 15° C.

An intermediate container (11) still having the same neck (2) made ofamorphous PET and a biaxially-stretched body (12) having dimensionsnoticeably greater than those of the final container to be produced byabout 20% with respect to height and by about 0 to about 30%transversely emerges from the first molding station (7). Theintermediate container (11) is transported by a conveyor (13) to atreatment station (14) comprising a second heating station in which theentire intermediate container (11) (neck and body) is subjected to atemperature of about 160° to about 240° C. for a period of about 1 toabout 5 minutes, preferably about 200° C. for about 1.5 minutes. In thissame treatment station (14), the heated neck then undergoes controlledcooling under conditions allowing the completion of the crystallizationof the PET in the neck section alone. The layout and operation of thetreatment station (14) will be explained later in more detail withrespect to FIGS. 2 to 4.

Upon exiting the treatment station (14), the heated body (16) of thecontainer (15) (see FIG. 5) is noticeably deformed and retracted orshrunken in size, while its cold neck (2a) is crystallized. Thecontainer in this condition is transported by a conveyor (17) to asecond molding station (18). The individual molds are advantageouslyarranged in carrousel fashion. The body (16) of the container (15) isinserted in a mold (19) whose cavity (20) has the shape and dimensionsof the body of the final container to be produced.

The same molding procedure as above is carried out. A mandrel (21) isinserted in the body (16) and shifted so as to lengthen the body axiallyand to center it on the bottom of the mold (20). Compressed air underabout 30 to about 40 bars pressure is injected so as to expand the body(16) and to make it mold to the shape of the cavity (20). During thistime, the mold is heated to a temperature of about 60° to about 120° C.The total duration of this cycle is about 2 to about 6 seconds.

A container (22) whose body (23) has its final shape and dimensions iscollected at the outlet of the second molding station (18). In theembodiment in which container (22) has a hemispherical bottom (as is thecase for the bottle represented in the Figures), the container is nexttransported by conveyor (24) to a final finishing station to receive aflat-bottomed base (25) conferring the stability required in thevertical position on the final container (26) (see FIG. 5).

With reference to FIGS. 2 to 4, a more detailed description of thefunction and structural examples of treatment station (14) will now beprovided. Treatment station (14) is designed to ensure simultaneousheating of the body (12) of the oversized intermediate container (11) toprepare for the second subsequent stretching-blowing step and theheating and controlled cooling of the neck (2), so that the PETcomprising the neck alone becomes crystallized.

In a first embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the intermediate container(11) is placed in an oven (27) where it undergoes horizontal movement oftranslation while being moved rotationally around its vertical axiswhere the ambient temperature of the oven is about 160° to about 240°C., preferably about 200° C.

The intermediate container (11) passes in front of a first unit ofinfrared radiation lamps (28) which are arranged so as to heat only thebody (12) of the container. Under the effect of this heating, thestresses induced during the prior biaxial stretching step, effected inorder to shape the body (12) of the intermediate container, are relaxed,and the body contracts (16). In addition, the effect produced by thisheating is to increase the crystallinity of the PET comprising thecontainer body.

The duration of the heating is a function of the material, theorientation of the intermediate container, and the thickness of itswall. As an example, for an intermediate container having a volume ofapproximately two liters and a weight of 50 grams, a heating period of30 seconds makes it possible to obtain a crystallinity of 40-45% in thewalls of the body and in the bottom.

As soon as the intermediate container has contracted under the effect ofthe heat where the duration of the thermal treatment is about 3 to about30 seconds, preferably about 5 seconds, spherulitic crystallization ofthe neck (2) of this container is undertaken. Up until this point, theneck had been composed of amorphous PET.

To accomplish this, the neck is heated from the inside and from theoutside. Internal heating is effected by a heating mandrel (not shown)inserted in the neck, whose temperature is kept between about 110° andabout 200° C., preferably about 140° C. External heating is effected byinfrared radiation lamps (29) and by the ambient temperature in the oven(27).

The duration of the neck crystallization treatment is a function ofmaterial and thickness. As an example, this duration is approximately 45seconds for a standardized 28 MCA neck (2), and the ratio of crystallineformation obtained is approximately 35%.

After the neck has been heated, it is kept (at point 30) in anenvironment whose temperature ranges between about 50° and about 100° C.for about 5 to about 30 seconds, preferably about 20 seconds, and thencooled by a pulsed air current, for example, having a temperature ofbetween about 20° and about 40° C. For a 28 MCA neck (2), the timeduring which the neck is kept in the environment of between about 50°and about 100° C. is about 20 seconds, and the cooling time (usingpulsed air) is between about 20 and about 40 seconds.

During this time, the contracted body (16) of the intermediate container(15) is kept in the oven (27) at a temperature of between about 160° andabout 240° C. If necessary, the body may be reheated using infraredradiation lamps before being removed from the oven.

Finally, the intermediate container (15) whose contracted body (16) ishot and whose neck (2a) is crystallized is removed from the oven (27)and sent to the second molding station (18) where it is stretched andblown as described above, thus giving it its final shape.

In a second embodiment of the implementation illustrated in FIG. 3(which repeats the numerical references appearing in FIG. 2), heating ofthe body (12) by means of infrared radiation for the purpose of rapidcontraction, as well as heating of the neck from the interior andexterior for the purpose of crystallization, begin simultaneously, whilethe conduct of the remainder of the process, and in particular thetemperature and time conditions, remain identical to what has beenindicated for the first embodiment.

In a third embodiment of the implementation illustrated in FIG. 4 (whichrepeats the numerical references appearing in FIG. 2), the procedurebegins by heating the body (12) and the neck (2) of the intermediatecontainer in an oven (27), either by effecting a time-lag between thetwo heating operations, as in the first embodiment, or simultaneouslyunder the same time and temperature conditions. The entire intermediatecontainer (15) having a contracted body (16) is then subjected tocontrolled cooling at (30), which produces the crystallization of thePET of the neck alone (2a). This cooling lasts from about 10 to about 60seconds, preferably about 40 seconds.

The intermediate container (15) is then transported to a third heatingdevice (31), which performs a new, rapid heating operation lastingbetween about 3 and about 30 seconds, preferably about 5 seconds of thecontracted body (16) alone, in order to place it under the temperatureconditions required for the second stretching-blowing step.

For the same purpose, heating of the entire intermediate container (15)may be carried out optionally by means of infrared radiation for a briefperiod (about 5 seconds). The time will not be sufficient to appreciablyheat the crystallized neck (2a), because of the marked thickness of itswall, while the thinner wall of the contracted body (16) will be rapidlyheated to the temperature required for stretching-blowing.

As is obvious and as the foregoing makes clear, the invention is in noway limited to the modes of application and the embodiments which havebeen specifically contemplated. The invention encompasses all possibleembodiments.

What is claimed is:
 1. Equipment for manufacturing a PET containercapable of withstanding, without appreciable deformation, relativelysevere thermal conditions encountered during processing by filling witha hot liquid or pasteurization of the contents of the container,comprising:(a) a first mold with means to shape the body of anintermediate container from the body of an amorphous PET preform,wherein the first mold has a molding cavity whose dimensions are largerthan the dimensions of the final container to be obtained by about 20%with respect to height and from 0 to about 30% transversely, andcomprising means for cooling the walls of the cavity to a temperature ofabout 5° to about 40° C.; (b) a treatment station comprising a firstheating device with means to simultaneously heat the body and the necksection of the intermediate container to a temperature of about 160° toabout 240° C. to rapidly shrink the body of the intermediate containerand to effect crystallization of the neck section and increase thecrystallinity of the contracted intermediate container body, means toslowly cool the contracted intermediate container body and the necksection, and a second heating device with means to heat the contractedintermediate container prior to placing it in a second mold; and (c) asaid second mold with means to shape the body of the final containerfrom the heated body of the intermediate container, wherein the secondmold has a molding cavity with dimensions that match the body of thefinal container and being fitted with means enabling the walls of thecavity to be kept at a predetermined temperature.
 2. Equipment accordingto claim 1, wherein the second heating device is arranged to heat onlythe body of the intermediate container.
 3. Equipment according to claim1, wherein the second heating device is arranged to heat the entireintermediate container, both body and neck section, and is equipped withheating elements which emit infrared radiation which substantially heatonly the body.
 4. Equipment according to claim 1, wherein the equipmentfurther comprises, prior to the first mold, a preliminary heating devicefor heating, to a temperature at least equal to the PET-softeningtemperature, only the body, exclusive of the neck section, of theamorphous PET preform wherein the neck section of the preform alreadypossesses the final shape and dimensions of the PET container to beformed, and wherein the device is provided with means to provide thermalprotection for the neck section, in order to prevent it from beingheated.
 5. Equipment according to claim 4, wherein the preliminaryheating device comprises a succession of infrared ovens arranged as acorridor or tunnel.
 6. Equipment according to claim 1, wherein the firstmold is part of a first molding station comprising individual moldsarranged in a carousel.
 7. Equipment according to claim 1, wherein theequipment further comprises a movable mandrel for use at the first moldand the second mold to effect axial elongation of the body of thepreform or the body of the intermediate container.
 8. Equipmentaccording to claim 1, wherein the equipment further comprises a finalfinishing station to impart a flat-bottomed base to the final container.9. Equipment according to claim 1, wherein the first heating devicecomprises a means to provide horizontal movement of translation for theintermediate container and rotational movement of the intermediatecontainer around its vertical axis.
 10. Equipment according to claim 1,wherein the first heating device comprises a first unit of infraredradiation lamps and a heating mandrel for insertion into the neck.